1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a method and apparatus for forming a textile pad for laminate floor underlayment. More specifically, the invention relates to a method and apparatus for splitting a textile batt and forming two textile pads therefrom.
2. Description of the Background Art
Textile pads are widely used in flooring applications. A pad is desirable when a flooring is applied over a sub-flooring.
Pads used in flooring applications serve multiple purposes. They may absorb impact, such as from persons walking on the flooring. They may provide sound deadening, and may provide insulating properties against heat transfer. Pads also may accommodate roughness, unevenness, or other flaws in the sub-flooring, and may provide a barrier against moisture and dirt. Finally, pads may lessen impact stresses on the flooring to lengthen the life of the flooring and make the flooring appear to be more durable and of a higher quality.
In the related art, a textile pad is not commonly used under laminate flooring. This is because a pad would have to be relatively thin so as to not cause any unevenness in transition areas (i.e., areas of flooring type transition, such as in doorways, etc.). In order to be acceptable, therefore, it is desirable that a laminate flooring pad be less that about xc2xc of a inch in thickness, and more preferably about xe2x85x9 inch in thickness.
In the related art, commercially available textile batts generally do not exist in thicknesses less than about xc2xc of an inch. This is due to the soft, compressible, and pliable nature of the textile batt which heretofore has made a smaller thickness textile batt difficult to manufacture, if not impossible. As a result, related art laminate floors use something other than a textile pad.
What is needed, therefore, are improvements in methods and apparatus for forming textile pads for a laminate floor underlayment.
A method for forming textile pads from a textile batt is provided according to a first aspect of the invention. The method comprises the steps of feeding a textile batt in a first direction, splitting the textile batt longitudinally as the textile batt is fed, thereby forming a plurality of partial thickness textile batts, applying an adhesive to an outer surface of each of the partial thickness textile batts as the partial thickness textile batts are fed, and adhering a vapor barrier material to the adhesive coated surface of each of the partial thickness textile batts to form a plurality of textile pads. In preferred aspects of this method, the partial thickness textile batts and plastic vapor barriers are passed through pressure rollers and partially compressed. The pressure rollers are maintained at an elevated temperature.
A method for forming two textile pads from a textile batt is provided according to a second aspect of the invention. The method comprises the steps of splitting the textile batt as the textile batt is fed, forming two partial thickness textile batts, wherein the textile batt is selected from the group consisting of polyester, nylon, acrylic, and cotton, or combinations thereof, applying an adhesive to outer surfaces of the two partial thickness textile batts as the two partial thickness textile batts are fed, and passing the two partial thickness textile batts and the two plastic vapor barriers through a pair of pressure rollers and partially compressing the two partial thickness textile batts and the two plastic vapor barriers at a pressure of about 400 psi and maintaining the pair of pressure rollers at a temperature of about 200 degrees Fahrenheit during bonding of the adhesive to form the two textile pads.
An apparatus for forming a plurality of textile pads from a textile batt is provided according to another aspect of the invention. The apparatus comprises a pair of feed rollers for receiving a textile batt, a splitting knife downstream of the feed rollers and capable of splitting the textile batt to produce partial thickness textile batts, adhesive appliers positioned downstream of the splitting knife and capable of applying an adhesive to an outer surface of each of the partial thickness textile batts, vapor barrier supply positioned downstream of the adhesive appliers and capable of supplying vapor barrier material that contacts the outer surfaces of the partial thickness textile batts, and pressure rollers positioned downstream of the vapor barrier supply and capable of partially compressing the partial thickness textile batts to bond of the vapor barrier adhesive.
The above and other features and advantages of the present invention will be further understood from the following description of the preferred embodiments thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.